Gov. Mike Dunleavy heads Alaska delegation at Republican National Convention

Gov. Mike Dunleavy was the head of Alaska’s delegation to the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin on Monday to officially nominate former President Donald Trump as the party’s candidate for president.

Around 2,500 Republican delegates from all 50 states and territories were in Milwaukee for the four-day convention, which began two days after Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Trump decisively won the Alaska GOP’s presidential preference poll in March. High profile Alaska Republicans were in Wisconsin for the convention to watch and participate in Trump’s nomination. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a frequent Trump critic, was a notable absence.

Surrounded by an excited huddle of Alaska delegates, Dunleavy announced Trump as the Alaska Republican Party’s nominee for president.

“The great state of Alaska pledges all of its 29 delegate votes to Donald J. Trump,” Dunleavy said during the roll call vote of states. “The state of Alaska — the largest state in the nation — two-and-a-half times the size of our fellow state Texas — the furthest northern state, western state and eastern state. The largest bears in the country, largest moose, biggest military, more retired veterans per capita. Once again, we pledge all of our votes, 29 delegates to Donald Trump, the next president of the United States of America.”

When asked for further comment, Tyson Gallager, the governor’s chief of staff who was in Wisconsin, said by text message that Dunleavy was just getting ready “for President Trump and four more years of opportunity and prosperity.”

Alongside Dunleavy on the convention floor: Newly-elected Alaska GOP Chair Carmela Warfield, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson, and Eagle River state Rep. Jamie Allard, among others.

The Republican convention kicked off two days after a deadly shooting at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania. The Alaska Republican Party issued a statement on social media that said the assassination attempt was “an abomination.”

”Violence has absolutely no place in the politics of our country — it should be condemned by everyone regardless of their political beliefs, and the terrible and irresponsible rhetoric that incited it must be stopped immediately,” the statement said.

Former Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell, an Alaska RNC national committeeman who signed the party’s statement, said by phone that security was “very tight” in Milwaukee and that it took almost an hour for delegates to get inside the venue. Despite that, Campbell said the attempted assassination had not overshadowed the convention.

“It’s fantastic,” he said during a break in proceedings. “The Republican Party of Alaska is very unified in supporting President Trump, and now JD Vance as the VP nominee — and I think it’s going to be a great team.”

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, Dunleavy, and Murkowski released statements over the weekend that condemned political violence, and offered prayers for Trump and those affected by the shooting.

Sullivan was at the convention on Monday. He said by phone that he was horrified by Saturday’s assassination attempt, and was relieved that Trump was OK.

“I think that was a moment, not only of personal courage, but of defiance that Americans could appreciate,” he said.

Sullivan applauded Trump’s choice of Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his vice presidential running mate. Sullivan, an Ohio native, has campaigned for Vance. He said Vance, 39, was interested in energy issues and had seen first-hand the impacts of the opioid epidemic.

”Pushing back on the opioid and fentanyl crises that have hurt a lot of states, including Alaska and Ohio — I think it’s an exciting choice,” Sullivan said about Vance.

Murkowski was not scheduled to attend the convention, a staff member said. Alaska’s senior senator was one of a handful of Republicans who voted to convict Trump for his role in allegedly inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Several Alaska delegates echoed Campbell and said the assassination attempt on Trump had not overshadowed the convention. Allard, a first-time RNC delegate, said everybody was just excited.

“They’re just kind of pumped up to vote for our president and get this over with,” she said from Wisconsin.

On Monday, the Republican Party formally adopted its Trump-backed 2024 party platform, which pledges to increase tariffs and deport immigrants on an unprecedented scale. Sullivan said the 16-page platform was “great for Alaska.” He highlighted plans to “unleash American energy” and build up the U.S. military.

Former Anchorage state Sen. Mia Costello, one of two Alaska members of the RNC platform committee, said that the GOP had “scaled down” the platform to make it easier to explain and share. She said strengthening the border could help curb fentanyl imports, and other planned policies could bring industry back to the U.S.

“I think it really hits the high points. I wouldn’t change a word of it. I’m really happy to support it,” said Costello, who is running for state House, from Wisconsin by phone.

However, The New York Times described the party platform as having traded traditional Republican free-market ideals for populist protectionism. The Times quoted economists who said that increasing protectionism and reducing migration could see prices rise.

Trump is expected in polling to solidly win Alaska and its three electoral college votes in November. The former president won Alaska in 2020 with 52.6% of the vote and in 2016 with a 51.3% vote share.

Since statehood, Republican candidates for president have won Alaska in each presidential election, except for 1964. That year, President Lyndon Johnson won in a landslide and carried all but six states against Republican Barry Goldwater.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Craig Campbell as lieutenant governor. He is a former lieutenant governor.